Edge: A Network for Ministry Development

Spiritual Grounding - We read the poem "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver and discussed these questions: 1. What word jumps out to you? 2. Describe your experience with the poem using your senses. What do you feel? What do you hear? What do you see? What you smell? What do you taste? 3. Who or what are you in this poem? ... 4. What is the world offering your imagination? Read the poem multiple times to allow yourself to focus on one question at a time. See more

Hopeful Economics UnConference is less than a month away! We're super excited that Terrell McTyer from New Church Ministry is our emcee. He's kicking off the whole UnConference with our "what to expect" welcome session. He's also hosting the Friday live interaction session "Fall in love with the problem". During this session, you'll brainstorm with people across the country to address challenges that impact you (and your community) the most OR connect about challenges that y...ou are most passionate about. You get to decide which challenges you want to focus on! #hopefuleconomics Details & Registration: https://whova.com/web/virtu20_202012/

EDGEy Conversation: Becoming an Anti-Racist Denomination Adele Halliday, the Anti-Racism and Equity Officer in the Office of the Moderator and General Secretary at the General Council Office, joined us to discuss The United Church of Canada’s 2020 commitment to becoming an anti-racist denomination. History: The United Church of Canada has a long history of anti-racism work that dates back to the 1960s. This includes policies, programs, resources, and more. However, as Adele ...reiterated, anti-racism work is an ongoing process. We still have a lot of work to do. Commitment to Becoming an Anti-Racist Denomination: The newest commitment (adopted October 2020) to becoming an anti-racist denomination has three key aspects: 1. Make a very clear statement that commits the United Church to becoming an anti-racism denomination. The wording becoming is intentional as it implies a journey with continuous and ongoing work. 2. Empower the General Secretary of the General Council Office to implement the necessary frameworks and strategic direction for involvement of the whole church. 3. Request the General Secretary to offer annual updates on the progress of the commitment. This provides accountability and transparency of the ongoing work in the whole church. What does this mean for me? As taken from the document Working Towards Becoming an Anti-Racist Denomination: An anti-racist denomination is one that actively works at dismantling racism and White supremacy at all levels of the church, continues to work at decolonizing its theology, and strives to redistribute racial power more fairly. It does this anti-racism work so that people from all racial backgrounds can participate in the church’s life fully and freely. (page 2) Moreover, intentionality and action are crucial to the commitment. Adele discussed the following seven named intentionality and actions listed in the document. continuous effort - all parts of the church - equipping leaders - engaging with anti-racist practices - building on history - reflecting on theology - a concrete strategy Next Steps: A video series, and a study guide for anti-racism work, are among the initial resources and materials that are in development. In addition, Adele is working with the newly-established Anti-Racism Common Table (a diverse national committee) to create a national anti-racism action plan for the United Church you will have many opportunities to engage with this part of the work. Watch the full EDGY Conversation with Adele! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcD8pRb71kA&feature=youtu.be (story featured in Embracing the Spirit Newsletter)

Join us March 3-5, 2021 at the Hopeful Economics UnConference. "Hopeful Economics" is a way of looking at the world of the assets and abundance that it has and making that work for everyone. And "UnConference" is when topics and discussions are informed by the people who show up. You'll be helping lead the direction of the conversations! With an incredible lineup of speakers, you'll dive deep into the relationship between social enterprise and faith. You'll learn about the ...economic impact of churches and how to pitch your community of faith to form new partnerships. Participate in fun and interactive sessions that will challenge you to work with unsuspecting partners to increase your impact and address community needs. New ideas & connections guaranteed! Details (including full agenda) and Registration: https://whova.com/web/virtu20_202012/

It's another #MindfulMonday and we are practicing "walking meditation". Find a quiet place to walk for 5-10 mins (it doesn't have to be outdoors you can pace in a hallway) and focus on the movement of each step. Consider how you can bring this awareness to the rest of your day. How are you practicing #MindfulMonday?

Check out New Vision United Church tonight for a virtual concert starting featuring Garth Inkster, shn shn, Ellis and LTtheMonk. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

EDGEy Conversation Recap: Learn about the United Property Resource Corporation (UPRC). Tim, Carla & Kris discuss why it was needed and how it plans to help communities of faith with property decisions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJUd4ZdbH-s More info: https://uprc.ca/

EDGEy Conversation Recap: A Post-Despair Hope with Ruben Nelson https://www.youtube.com/watch

Congratulations to Rev. Michael Blair!

EDGEy Conversation Recap: Monday, August 24, 2020, Alexandra shared her talk on Systems, Complexity and Faith. She takes scientific language and concepts and applies them to faith. For example, in one Adaptive Cycle model the transformation stages called release and reorganization however, Alexandra suggests we name this stage resurrection." ... Watch to learn more! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s555pgZPOR0&feature=youtu.be